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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. land — ground
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. cap — a lid
  6. face — to confront
  7. bore — to tire
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. land — a country
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. content — the amount
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cap — a hat
  14. charge — in control
  15. face — part of the head
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. face — to point toward
  18. charge — a price
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. land — to come down
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bore — to drill
  24. content — happy

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com